gak0090

potatonet wrote:Been through two sets of these units after buying them from newegg back in the day.

If the amp doesnt die first... then the potentiometer for the controls will!

ERR... Div/0 = DNE

You are right on. I bought a set of these for my wife's computer, the amp died after 2 years, and she barely used them. At best they sounded average, but I paid like $20 so I couldn't complain about the sound.

rbivt

rbivt wrote:Here they are on Amazon for $10 more - pretty good reviews there
http://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Acoustics-Computer-Speakers-CA-3090/dp/B00006B9W1

[MOD: Different model number. We're selling the CA-3488]

Sorry Just noticed that: here's the actual one but no reviews and more expensive:
http://www.amazon.com/Cyber-Acoustics-CA3488-Satellite-2-1ch/dp/B00AC515RA/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1358775157&sr=1-7&keywords=CA-3488+cyber+acoustics

ranscobia

For $15 more you can get the CA-3550 shipped free from Amazon. More power and bigger sub. I have a set of CA-3550 2.1 speakers connected to a projector to watch movies out doors. They sound great and the price is right.

wagnerism2

"Built with durability in mind, the CA-3488 2.1 stereo speaker system is perfect for just about anywhere."

I guess if you actually are building it with zero durability, you're technically building it with durability in mind.

With the above posts in mind, at what point do we disregard all that is written about products? Then we can only rely on reviews full of shills, one-star ratings because of a shipping problem, five-star ratings because it actually showed up in a box, and ones with links to dating sites?

I have seen Woot! descriptions that directly state that the product for sale is of low quality. I had more trust in their descriptions based on that. Not anymore.

Yes, it is cheap. Yes, it is probably crap. At least be honest and tell us - or sell stuff that doesn't need such blunt honesty.

gak0090

clanecks

I have a set of these speakers. They are serviceable in sound quality for maybe about $10. The MSRP of $79.99 is a total joke. As far as sound quality goes, highs are harsh, mids are muddled, and lows sound empty, soundstage is virtually non-existent. 10% total harmonic distortion is more like 30%. All in all, if you tap your fingers on the subwoofer itself, you're likely to get a similar quality in bass reproduction.

Most tell-tale sign of poor audio quality? On the user manual itself, troubleshooting advises the following: if sound is distorted, turn your volume down. If still distorted, turn your system volume down.

That troubleshooting guide is legit. There's a phenomenon that occurs in modern solid-state amplifiers known as clipping, where the incoming audio signal is too much for the amplifier to handle, so the output gets messed up. Instead of seeing a smooth sine wave on the output audio, you see a smooth curve up and then a flat table until the audio level drops. Some amplifiers cause the issues that a lot of people are describing with these speakers when it comes to sound quality, while others get to that point and unleash the most evil screeching sound you've ever heard.

mtcanty

Looks exactly like the set of Insignia speakers I have (paid $25 @ Best Buy). I've had them for about 4 years. Maybe not audiophile quality, but they're durable and reliable. I just have them for watching Netflix and listening to light tunes while I woot.

mooingrhinoceros

Saw two speakers and a subwoofer with standard aux inputs and outputs and impulsively ordered these. Decided to read the discussion after ordering them and had immediate buyer's remorse. Promptly sent an e-mail to Woot! support asking to cancel my order, but it was too late and it had already shipped (but they told me I could refuse delivery and get a refund).

Got them yesterday and really, they're not bad. I paid $25 for these and they're well worth that. I'm no audiophile; I was just looking for something to play my music louder and these work fine. They could still blow up, break, whatever, but my overall first impression is positive.

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